US20130173214A1 - Method and structure for inline electrical fin critical dimension measurement - Google Patents
Method and structure for inline electrical fin critical dimension measurement Download PDFInfo
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- US20130173214A1 US20130173214A1 US13/343,186 US201213343186A US2013173214A1 US 20130173214 A1 US20130173214 A1 US 20130173214A1 US 201213343186 A US201213343186 A US 201213343186A US 2013173214 A1 US2013173214 A1 US 2013173214A1
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- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01B—MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS
- G01B7/00—Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of electric or magnetic techniques
- G01B7/02—Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of electric or magnetic techniques for measuring length, width or thickness
- G01B7/023—Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of electric or magnetic techniques for measuring length, width or thickness for measuring distance between sensor and object
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L22/00—Testing or measuring during manufacture or treatment; Reliability measurements, i.e. testing of parts without further processing to modify the parts as such; Structural arrangements therefor
- H01L22/30—Structural arrangements specially adapted for testing or measuring during manufacture or treatment, or specially adapted for reliability measurements
- H01L22/34—Circuits for electrically characterising or monitoring manufacturing processes, e. g. whole test die, wafers filled with test structures, on-board-devices incorporated on each die, process control monitors or pad structures thereof, devices in scribe line
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- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01B—MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS
- G01B2210/00—Aspects not specifically covered by any group under G01B, e.g. of wheel alignment, caliper-like sensors
- G01B2210/56—Measuring geometric parameters of semiconductor structures, e.g. profile, critical dimensions or trench depth
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L22/00—Testing or measuring during manufacture or treatment; Reliability measurements, i.e. testing of parts without further processing to modify the parts as such; Structural arrangements therefor
- H01L22/10—Measuring as part of the manufacturing process
- H01L22/12—Measuring as part of the manufacturing process for structural parameters, e.g. thickness, line width, refractive index, temperature, warp, bond strength, defects, optical inspection, electrical measurement of structural dimensions, metallurgic measurement of diffusions
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L2924/00—Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
- H01L2924/0001—Technical content checked by a classifier
- H01L2924/0002—Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
Definitions
- the present invention relates generally to semiconductor fabrication, and more particularly, to fabrication of FinFET devices.
- FETs Field Effect Transistors
- ASIC Application Specific Integrated Circuit
- SRAM Static Random Access Memory
- CMOS Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor
- FinFET devices are a desired device architecture.
- a FinFET device includes a source, a drain, and one or more fin-shaped channels between the source and the drain.
- a gate electrode over the fin(s) regulates electron flow between the source and the drain.
- the architecture of a FinFET device presents notable fabrication challenges. As feature sizes of the devices get increasingly smaller (commensurate with current technology) accurately and consistently fabricating a FinFET becomes challenging. Therefore, it is desirable to have improved methods and structures for FinFET fabrication process monitoring.
- a method for electrically measuring the width (critical dimension) of a fin of a FinFET comprises measuring the resistance of a first gate test structure comprising a first doped silicon region on the substrate to obtain a first resistance measurement, measuring the resistance of a second gate test structure comprising a second doped silicon region on the substrate to obtain a second resistance measurement, computing a linear equation relating sheet resistance to gate width based on the first resistance measurement and the second resistance measurement, computing a Y intercept value of the linear equation to derive an external resistance value, computing a sheet resistance value for the first gate test structure based on the external resistance value, measuring the resistance of a doped fin test structure, and computing the width of at least one fin based on the sheet resistance value.
- a FinFET test circuit for electrically measuring the width (critical dimension) of at least one fin of a FinFET.
- the circuit comprises a plurality of gate test structures, and a doped fin test structure.
- the plurality of gate test structures and the doped fin test structure are disposed on a substrate, and the width of the gates in the plurality of gate test structures are of at least two different widths.
- a FinFET critical dimension test circuit comprises a plurality of gate test structures, and a doped fin test structure.
- the plurality of gate test structures and the doped fin test structure are disposed on a substrate; and each gate test structure comprises a doped silicon region, a gate dielectric layer disposed on the doped silicon region, and a gate disposed on the gate dielectric layer.
- the doped fin test structure comprises a plurality of doped fins, a dielectric layer disposed over each of the plurality of fins, and a gate disposed over the plurality of fins.
- the critical dimension for each of the plurality of fins ranges from about 10 nanometers to about 15 nanometers.
- FIGs. The figures are intended to be illustrative, not limiting.
- cross-sectional views may be in the form of “slices”, or “near-sighted” cross-sectional views, omitting certain background lines which would otherwise be visible in a “true” cross-sectional view, for illustrative clarity.
- FIGS. 1A and 1B show an example of a gate test structure in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIGS. 2A-2C show an example of a set of gate test structures in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 3 is a chart showing the relationship of resistance and gate width.
- FIGS. 4A and 4B show an example of a second test structure in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 5 is a flowchart indicating process steps for an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 6 shows a block diagram of an exemplary design flow.
- FIGS. 1A and 1B show an example of a gate test structure in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 1A shows a side view of gate test structure 100 .
- a silicon substrate 102 with an insulating layer 104 serves as the base of the test structure 100 .
- insulating layer 104 is comprised of oxide.
- a doped silicon region 106 is disposed on the insulating layer 104 .
- the doped silicon region 106 has a dopant concentration ranging from about 1e19 atoms per cubic centimeter to about 1e20 atoms per cubic centimeter.
- the dopant used in the doped silicon region 106 is arsenic. In another embodiment, phosphorous is used.
- gate dielectric layer 108 Disposed on doped silicon region 106 is gate dielectric layer 108 .
- Gate dielectric layer 108 may be comprised of oxide.
- gate 110 Disposed on gate dielectric layer 108 is gate 110 .
- gate 110 is comprised of polysilicon.
- FIG. 1B shows a top-down view of gate test structure 100 , as interconnected to metal conduits 112 and 114 by conductive vias, shown generally as 116 .
- Metal conduits 112 and 114 may be part of a metal layer located at a higher layer than the gate test structure 100 .
- the vias 116 may be part of a via layer that interconnects the gate test structure 100 with the metal conduits 112 and 114 .
- FIGS. 2A-2C show an example of a set of gate test structures in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
- Gate structures 200 A, 200 B and 200 C are similar, except for the gate width L.
- Gate structure 200 A has a gate 210 A having a gate width L 1 .
- Gate structure 200 B has a gate 210 B having a gate width L 2 .
- Gate structure 200 C has a gate 210 C having a gate width L 3 . As shown, L 1 >L 2 >L 3 .
- gate test structures 200 A and 200 C are used.
- 3 or more gate test structures may be used.
- gate structure 200 A may have a gate width L 1 that ranges from about 0.8 micrometers to about 1.5 micrometers
- gate structure 200 C may have a gate width L 3 that ranges from about 0.3 micrometers to about 0.7 micrometers.
- the gate test structures there are at least two different gate widths, as to allow deriving the linear equation relating resistance to gate width.
- gate structure 200 A may have a gate width L 1 that ranges from about 1.4 micrometers to about 1.5 micrometers
- gate structure 200 B may have a gate width L 2 that ranges from about 0.9 micrometers to about 1.1 micrometers
- gate structure 200 C may have a gate width L 3 that ranges from about 0.4 micrometers to about 0.6 micrometers.
- FIG. 3 is a chart 300 showing the relationship of resistance and gate width.
- the Y (vertical) axis represents measured resistance and the X (horizontal) axis represents gate width (L in FIG. 1B ).
- Each point (L 1 , L 2 , L 3 ) on the line 342 represents a resistance measurement of a gate test structure such as 200 A, 200 B, or 200 C. The resistance measurement is made by measuring the resistance between metal conduit 212 and metal conduit 214 in structures 200 A, 200 B, and 200 C.
- two measurements may be used to generate two points which define a slope and Y intercept. If more than two measurements are used, a best-fit line may be computed, and the slope and Y intercept of that line may be used to derive Rext, which is the value of the resistance on the vertical axis at the Y-intercept point. This resistance value is the external resistance Rext.
- the sheet resistance ⁇ of the doped silicon region ( 106 of FIG. 1A ) of the gate test structure is then computed by:
- Rmeasured is the measured resistance of one of the gate test structures (e.g. 200 A); Rext is the resistance value on the Y intercept of the chart in FIG. 3 ; W is the width of the doped silicon region (see FIG. 1B ); and
- L is the width of the gate of the gate test structure (e.g. L 1 of).
- This sheet resistance value is then used in conjunction with a subsequent measurement on a doped fin test structure to determine the critical dimension (fin thickness) of the fin.
- FIGS. 4A and 4B show an example of a doped fin test structure in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 4A shows a top-down view of doped fin test structure 400 .
- Doped fin test structure 400 is similar to gate test structure 100 , with a primary difference being a plurality of fins (shown generally as 420 ) which traverse the width of gate 410 .
- Metal conduits 412 and 414 are the points between which the resistance is measured.
- a plurality of vias 416 connect the metal conduits 412 and 414 to the fins 420 .
- the critical dimension Dfin represents the thickness of the fin.
- FIG. 4B shows a side view of doped fin test structure 400 , with the metal conduits and vias not shown.
- the doped fin test structure 400 is disposed on insulating layer 404 which is disposed on silicon substrate 402 .
- Each fin 420 is comprised of a doped silicon portion 424 , which is disposed on the insulating layer 404 .
- On the top and sides of the doped silicon portion 424 is a dielectric layer 422 .
- the dielectric layer may be comprised of oxide.
- the doped fin test structure 400 of FIG. 4B has 3 fins 420 , other embodiments may have more fins.
- the doped fin test structure may have 3 to 25 fins.
- the critical dimension Dfin represents the thickness of the fin.
- the fins 420 have a Dfin ranging from about 10 nanometers to about 15 nanometers. The Dfin value is calculated as:
- FIG. 5 is a flowchart 500 indicating process steps for an embodiment of the present invention.
- the resistance of a first gate test structure is measured (e.g. 200 A of FIG. 2A ).
- the resistance of a second gate test structure is measured (e.g. 200 C of FIG. 2C ).
- a linear equation is computed which relates resistance to gate width. A minimum of two measurements are needed to define a line with a slope and Y intercept using common algebraic techniques. Optionally, resistance measurements may be made on additional gate test structures of varying gate width to obtain multiple points. These points may then be used to compute a best-fit line using standard regression techniques.
- the Y intercept of the linear equation is computed, which yields the external resistance (Rext of FIG. 3 ).
- the sheet resistance of the doped silicon material is computed by the following formula:
- the resistance of the doped fin test structure is measured. This is performed by measuring the resistance between metal conduit 412 and metal conduit 414 (see FIG. 4A ).
- the fin critical dimension is computed by the following formula:
- embodiments of the present invention provide a method and corresponding test structures for measuring the fin width (critical dimension) via an electrical measurement.
- a FinFET critical dimension test circuit comprised of multiple gate test structures and a doped fin test structure are disposed on an integrated circuit.
- the test circuit is not part of the functional circuitry of an IC (integrated circuit) chip, but exists for the purposes of inline monitoring of the FinFET critical dimension.
- FIG. 6 shows a block diagram of an exemplary design flow 1600 used for example, in semiconductor IC logic design, simulation, test, layout, and manufacture.
- Design flow 1600 includes processes, machines and/or mechanisms for processing design structures or devices to generate logically or otherwise functionally equivalent representations of the design structures and/or devices described above and shown in FIGS. 1-5 .
- the design structures processed and/or generated by design flow 1600 may be encoded on machine-readable transmission or storage media to include data and/or instructions that when executed or otherwise processed on a data processing system generate a logically, structurally, mechanically, or otherwise functionally equivalent representation of hardware components, circuits, devices, or systems.
- Machines include, but are not limited to, any machine used in an IC design process, such as designing, manufacturing, or simulating a circuit, component, device, or system.
- machines may include: lithography machines, machines and/or equipment for generating masks (e.g. e-beam writers), computers or equipment for simulating design structures, any apparatus used in the manufacturing or test process, or any machines for programming functionally equivalent representations of the design structures into any medium (e.g. a machine for programming a programmable gate array).
- Design flow 1600 may vary depending on the type of representation being designed.
- a design flow 1600 for building an application specific IC (ASIC) may differ from a design flow 1600 for designing a standard component or from a design flow 1600 for instantiating the design into a programmable array, for example a programmable gate array (PGA) or a field programmable gate array (FPGA) offered by Altera® Inc. or Xilinx® Inc.
- FIG. 6 illustrates multiple such design structures including an input design structure 1620 that is preferably processed by a design process 1610 .
- Design structure 1620 may be a logical simulation design structure generated and processed by design process 1610 to produce a logically equivalent functional representation of a hardware device.
- Design structure 1620 may also or alternatively comprise data and/or program instructions that when processed by design process 1610 , generate a functional representation of the physical structure of a hardware device. Whether representing functional and/or structural design features, design structure 1620 may be generated using electronic computer-aided design (ECAD) such as implemented by a core developer/designer. When encoded on a machine-readable data transmission, gate array, or storage medium, design structure 1620 may be accessed and processed by one or more hardware and/or software modules within design process 1610 to simulate or otherwise functionally represent an electronic component, circuit, electronic or logic module, apparatus, device, or system such as those shown in FIGS. 1-5 .
- ECAD electronic computer-aided design
- design structure 1620 may comprise files or other data structures including human and/or machine-readable source code, compiled structures, and computer-executable code structures that when processed by a design or simulation data processing system, functionally simulate or otherwise represent circuits or other levels of hardware logic design.
- data structures may include hardware-description language (HDL) design entities or other data structures conforming to and/or compatible with lower-level HDL design languages such as Verilog and VHDL, and/or higher level design languages such as C or C++.
- HDL hardware-description language
- Design process 1610 preferably employs and incorporates hardware and/or software modules for synthesizing, translating, or otherwise processing a design/simulation functional equivalent of the components, circuits, devices, or logic structures shown in FIGS. 1-5 to generate a Netlist 1680 which may contain design structures such as design structure 1620 .
- Netlist 1680 may comprise, for example, compiled or otherwise processed data structures representing a list of wires, discrete components, logic gates, control circuits, I/O devices, models, etc. that describes the connections to other elements and circuits in an integrated circuit design.
- Netlist 1680 may be synthesized using an iterative process in which netlist 1680 is resynthesized one or more times depending on design specifications and parameters for the device.
- netlist 1680 may be recorded on a machine-readable data storage medium or programmed into a programmable gate array.
- the medium may be a non-volatile storage medium such as a magnetic or optical disk drive, a programmable gate array, a compact flash, or other flash memory. Additionally, or in the alternative, the medium may be a system or cache memory, buffer space, or electrically or optically conductive devices and materials on which data packets may be transmitted and intermediately stored via the Internet, or other networking suitable means.
- Design process 1610 may include using a variety of inputs; for example, inputs from library elements 1630 which may house a set of commonly used elements, circuits, and devices, including models, layouts, and symbolic representations, for a given manufacturing technology (e.g., different technology nodes, 32 nm, 45 nm, 90 nm, etc.), design specifications 1640 , characterization data 1650 , verification data 1660 , design rules 1670 , and test data files 1685 (which may include test patterns and other testing information). Design process 1610 may further include, for example, standard circuit design processes such as timing analysis, verification, design rule checking, place and route operations, etc.
- standard circuit design processes such as timing analysis, verification, design rule checking, place and route operations, etc.
- Design process 1610 preferably translates an embodiment of the invention as shown in FIGS. 1-5 , along with any additional integrated circuit design or data (if applicable), into a second design structure 1690 .
- Design structure 1690 resides on a storage medium in a data format used for the exchange of layout data of integrated circuits (e.g. information stored in a GDSII (GDS2), GL1, OASIS, or any other suitable format for storing such design structures).
- Design structure 1690 may comprise information such as, for example, test data files, design content files, manufacturing data, layout parameters, wires, levels of metal, vias, shapes, data for routing through the manufacturing line, and any other data required by a semiconductor manufacturer to produce an embodiment of the invention as described above with reference to FIGS. 1-5 .
- Design structure 1690 may then proceed to a stage 1695 where, for example, design structure 1690 : proceeds to tape-out, is released to manufacturing, is released to a mask house, is sent to another design house, is sent back to the customer, etc.
Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates generally to semiconductor fabrication, and more particularly, to fabrication of FinFET devices.
- Field Effect Transistors (FETs) have been the dominant semiconductor technology used to make Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) chips, microprocessor chips, Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) chips, and the like for many years. In particular, Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) technology has dominated the semiconductor process industry for a number of years.
- Due to their fast switching times and high current densities, fin field effect transistor (FinFET) devices are a desired device architecture. In its basic form, a FinFET device includes a source, a drain, and one or more fin-shaped channels between the source and the drain. A gate electrode over the fin(s) regulates electron flow between the source and the drain. The architecture of a FinFET device, however, presents notable fabrication challenges. As feature sizes of the devices get increasingly smaller (commensurate with current technology) accurately and consistently fabricating a FinFET becomes challenging. Therefore, it is desirable to have improved methods and structures for FinFET fabrication process monitoring.
- In one embodiment, a method for electrically measuring the width (critical dimension) of a fin of a FinFET is provided. The method comprises measuring the resistance of a first gate test structure comprising a first doped silicon region on the substrate to obtain a first resistance measurement, measuring the resistance of a second gate test structure comprising a second doped silicon region on the substrate to obtain a second resistance measurement, computing a linear equation relating sheet resistance to gate width based on the first resistance measurement and the second resistance measurement, computing a Y intercept value of the linear equation to derive an external resistance value, computing a sheet resistance value for the first gate test structure based on the external resistance value, measuring the resistance of a doped fin test structure, and computing the width of at least one fin based on the sheet resistance value.
- In another embodiment, a FinFET test circuit for electrically measuring the width (critical dimension) of at least one fin of a FinFET is provided. The circuit comprises a plurality of gate test structures, and a doped fin test structure. The plurality of gate test structures and the doped fin test structure are disposed on a substrate, and the width of the gates in the plurality of gate test structures are of at least two different widths.
- In yet another embodiment, a FinFET critical dimension test circuit is provided. The circuit comprises a plurality of gate test structures, and a doped fin test structure. The plurality of gate test structures and the doped fin test structure are disposed on a substrate; and each gate test structure comprises a doped silicon region, a gate dielectric layer disposed on the doped silicon region, and a gate disposed on the gate dielectric layer. The doped fin test structure comprises a plurality of doped fins, a dielectric layer disposed over each of the plurality of fins, and a gate disposed over the plurality of fins. The critical dimension for each of the plurality of fins ranges from about 10 nanometers to about 15 nanometers.
- The structure, operation, and advantages of the present invention will become further apparent upon consideration of the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures (FIGs.). The figures are intended to be illustrative, not limiting.
- Certain elements in some of the figures may be omitted, or illustrated not-to-scale, for illustrative clarity. The cross-sectional views may be in the form of “slices”, or “near-sighted” cross-sectional views, omitting certain background lines which would otherwise be visible in a “true” cross-sectional view, for illustrative clarity.
- Often, similar elements may be referred to by similar numbers in various figures (FIGs) of the drawing, in which case typically the last two significant digits may be the same, the most significant digit being the number of the drawing figure (FIG).
-
FIGS. 1A and 1B show an example of a gate test structure in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. -
FIGS. 2A-2C show an example of a set of gate test structures in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 3 is a chart showing the relationship of resistance and gate width. -
FIGS. 4A and 4B show an example of a second test structure in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 5 is a flowchart indicating process steps for an embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 6 shows a block diagram of an exemplary design flow. -
FIGS. 1A and 1B show an example of a gate test structure in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 1A shows a side view ofgate test structure 100. Asilicon substrate 102 with aninsulating layer 104 serves as the base of thetest structure 100. In one embodiment,insulating layer 104 is comprised of oxide. A dopedsilicon region 106 is disposed on theinsulating layer 104. In one embodiment, thedoped silicon region 106 has a dopant concentration ranging from about 1e19 atoms per cubic centimeter to about 1e20 atoms per cubic centimeter. In one embodiment, the dopant used in thedoped silicon region 106 is arsenic. In another embodiment, phosphorous is used. Other dopant species may also be used. Disposed on dopedsilicon region 106 is gatedielectric layer 108. Gatedielectric layer 108 may be comprised of oxide. Disposed on gatedielectric layer 108 isgate 110. In one embodiment,gate 110 is comprised of polysilicon. -
FIG. 1B shows a top-down view ofgate test structure 100, as interconnected tometal conduits Metal conduits gate test structure 100. Thevias 116 may be part of a via layer that interconnects thegate test structure 100 with themetal conduits -
FIGS. 2A-2C show an example of a set of gate test structures in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.Gate structures L. Gate structure 200A has agate 210A having a gate width L1.Gate structure 200B has agate 210B having a gate width L2.Gate structure 200C has agate 210C having a gate width L3. As shown, L1>L2>L3. - In one embodiment, only
gate test structures gate structure 200A may have a gate width L1 that ranges from about 0.8 micrometers to about 1.5 micrometers, andgate structure 200C may have a gate width L3 that ranges from about 0.3 micrometers to about 0.7 micrometers. Among the gate test structures, there are at least two different gate widths, as to allow deriving the linear equation relating resistance to gate width. - In an embodiment where three test gate structures are used,
gate structure 200A may have a gate width L1 that ranges from about 1.4 micrometers to about 1.5 micrometers,gate structure 200B may have a gate width L2 that ranges from about 0.9 micrometers to about 1.1 micrometers, andgate structure 200C may have a gate width L3 that ranges from about 0.4 micrometers to about 0.6 micrometers. -
FIG. 3 is achart 300 showing the relationship of resistance and gate width. The Y (vertical) axis represents measured resistance and the X (horizontal) axis represents gate width (L inFIG. 1B ). Each point (L1, L2, L3) on theline 342 represents a resistance measurement of a gate test structure such as 200A, 200B, or 200C. The resistance measurement is made by measuring the resistance betweenmetal conduit 212 andmetal conduit 214 instructures - At a minimum, two measurements may be used to generate two points which define a slope and Y intercept. If more than two measurements are used, a best-fit line may be computed, and the slope and Y intercept of that line may be used to derive Rext, which is the value of the resistance on the vertical axis at the Y-intercept point. This resistance value is the external resistance Rext. Rext represents the theoretical case of a gate of zero width (since L=0 at the Y intercept point). The Rext value represents the resistance due to factors external to the gate.
- The sheet resistance ρ of the doped silicon region (106 of
FIG. 1A ) of the gate test structure is then computed by: -
ρ=(Rmeasured−Rext)*W/L, where: - Rmeasured is the measured resistance of one of the gate test structures (e.g. 200A); Rext is the resistance value on the Y intercept of the chart in
FIG. 3 ; W is the width of the doped silicon region (seeFIG. 1B ); and - L is the width of the gate of the gate test structure (e.g. L1 of).
- This sheet resistance value is then used in conjunction with a subsequent measurement on a doped fin test structure to determine the critical dimension (fin thickness) of the fin.
-
FIGS. 4A and 4B show an example of a doped fin test structure in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 4A shows a top-down view of dopedfin test structure 400. Dopedfin test structure 400 is similar togate test structure 100, with a primary difference being a plurality of fins (shown generally as 420) which traverse the width ofgate 410.Metal conduits vias 416 connect themetal conduits fins 420. The critical dimension Dfin represents the thickness of the fin. -
FIG. 4B shows a side view of dopedfin test structure 400, with the metal conduits and vias not shown. As shown inFIG. 4B , the dopedfin test structure 400 is disposed on insulatinglayer 404 which is disposed onsilicon substrate 402. Eachfin 420 is comprised of a dopedsilicon portion 424, which is disposed on the insulatinglayer 404. On the top and sides of the dopedsilicon portion 424 is adielectric layer 422. The dielectric layer may be comprised of oxide. While the dopedfin test structure 400 ofFIG. 4B has 3fins 420, other embodiments may have more fins. In one embodiment, the doped fin test structure may have 3 to 25 fins. The critical dimension Dfin represents the thickness of the fin. In one embodiment, thefins 420 have a Dfin ranging from about 10 nanometers to about 15 nanometers. The Dfin value is calculated as: -
Dfin=ρ*L/(n*Rmeasured), where: - ρ is the sheet resistance previously calculated;
L is the width of the gate;
n is the number of fins;
Rmeasured is the resistance measured betweenmetal conduit 412 and metal conduit 414 (seeFIG. 4A ). -
FIG. 5 is aflowchart 500 indicating process steps for an embodiment of the present invention. Inprocess step 550, the resistance of a first gate test structure is measured (e.g. 200A ofFIG. 2A ). Inprocess step 552, the resistance of a second gate test structure is measured (e.g. 200C ofFIG. 2C ). Inprocess step 554, a linear equation is computed which relates resistance to gate width. A minimum of two measurements are needed to define a line with a slope and Y intercept using common algebraic techniques. Optionally, resistance measurements may be made on additional gate test structures of varying gate width to obtain multiple points. These points may then be used to compute a best-fit line using standard regression techniques. Inprocess step 556, the Y intercept of the linear equation is computed, which yields the external resistance (Rext ofFIG. 3 ). Inprocess step 558, the sheet resistance of the doped silicon material is computed by the following formula: -
ρ=(Rmeasured−Rext)*W/L. - In
process step 560, the resistance of the doped fin test structure is measured. This is performed by measuring the resistance betweenmetal conduit 412 and metal conduit 414 (seeFIG. 4A ). Inprocess step 562, the fin critical dimension (see Dfin,FIG. 4A andFIG. 4B ) is computed by the following formula: -
Dfin=ρ*L/(n*Rmeasured). - Thus, embodiments of the present invention provide a method and corresponding test structures for measuring the fin width (critical dimension) via an electrical measurement. A FinFET critical dimension test circuit comprised of multiple gate test structures and a doped fin test structure are disposed on an integrated circuit. The test circuit is not part of the functional circuitry of an IC (integrated circuit) chip, but exists for the purposes of inline monitoring of the FinFET critical dimension.
- This is well-suited for inline measurement and process monitoring. As the fin dimension is an important aspect of FinFET fabrication, the ability to monitor the process with a series of fast, inline resistance measurements provides advantages that can lead to improved yield and reduced variation amongst similar fabricated devices.
-
FIG. 6 shows a block diagram of anexemplary design flow 1600 used for example, in semiconductor IC logic design, simulation, test, layout, and manufacture.Design flow 1600 includes processes, machines and/or mechanisms for processing design structures or devices to generate logically or otherwise functionally equivalent representations of the design structures and/or devices described above and shown inFIGS. 1-5 . The design structures processed and/or generated bydesign flow 1600 may be encoded on machine-readable transmission or storage media to include data and/or instructions that when executed or otherwise processed on a data processing system generate a logically, structurally, mechanically, or otherwise functionally equivalent representation of hardware components, circuits, devices, or systems. Machines include, but are not limited to, any machine used in an IC design process, such as designing, manufacturing, or simulating a circuit, component, device, or system. For example, machines may include: lithography machines, machines and/or equipment for generating masks (e.g. e-beam writers), computers or equipment for simulating design structures, any apparatus used in the manufacturing or test process, or any machines for programming functionally equivalent representations of the design structures into any medium (e.g. a machine for programming a programmable gate array). -
Design flow 1600 may vary depending on the type of representation being designed. For example, adesign flow 1600 for building an application specific IC (ASIC) may differ from adesign flow 1600 for designing a standard component or from adesign flow 1600 for instantiating the design into a programmable array, for example a programmable gate array (PGA) or a field programmable gate array (FPGA) offered by Altera® Inc. or Xilinx® Inc.FIG. 6 illustrates multiple such design structures including aninput design structure 1620 that is preferably processed by adesign process 1610.Design structure 1620 may be a logical simulation design structure generated and processed bydesign process 1610 to produce a logically equivalent functional representation of a hardware device.Design structure 1620 may also or alternatively comprise data and/or program instructions that when processed bydesign process 1610, generate a functional representation of the physical structure of a hardware device. Whether representing functional and/or structural design features,design structure 1620 may be generated using electronic computer-aided design (ECAD) such as implemented by a core developer/designer. When encoded on a machine-readable data transmission, gate array, or storage medium,design structure 1620 may be accessed and processed by one or more hardware and/or software modules withindesign process 1610 to simulate or otherwise functionally represent an electronic component, circuit, electronic or logic module, apparatus, device, or system such as those shown inFIGS. 1-5 . As such,design structure 1620 may comprise files or other data structures including human and/or machine-readable source code, compiled structures, and computer-executable code structures that when processed by a design or simulation data processing system, functionally simulate or otherwise represent circuits or other levels of hardware logic design. Such data structures may include hardware-description language (HDL) design entities or other data structures conforming to and/or compatible with lower-level HDL design languages such as Verilog and VHDL, and/or higher level design languages such as C or C++. -
Design process 1610 preferably employs and incorporates hardware and/or software modules for synthesizing, translating, or otherwise processing a design/simulation functional equivalent of the components, circuits, devices, or logic structures shown inFIGS. 1-5 to generate aNetlist 1680 which may contain design structures such asdesign structure 1620.Netlist 1680 may comprise, for example, compiled or otherwise processed data structures representing a list of wires, discrete components, logic gates, control circuits, I/O devices, models, etc. that describes the connections to other elements and circuits in an integrated circuit design.Netlist 1680 may be synthesized using an iterative process in which netlist 1680 is resynthesized one or more times depending on design specifications and parameters for the device. As with other design structure types described herein,netlist 1680 may be recorded on a machine-readable data storage medium or programmed into a programmable gate array. The medium may be a non-volatile storage medium such as a magnetic or optical disk drive, a programmable gate array, a compact flash, or other flash memory. Additionally, or in the alternative, the medium may be a system or cache memory, buffer space, or electrically or optically conductive devices and materials on which data packets may be transmitted and intermediately stored via the Internet, or other networking suitable means. -
Design process 1610 may include using a variety of inputs; for example, inputs fromlibrary elements 1630 which may house a set of commonly used elements, circuits, and devices, including models, layouts, and symbolic representations, for a given manufacturing technology (e.g., different technology nodes, 32 nm, 45 nm, 90 nm, etc.),design specifications 1640,characterization data 1650,verification data 1660,design rules 1670, and test data files 1685 (which may include test patterns and other testing information).Design process 1610 may further include, for example, standard circuit design processes such as timing analysis, verification, design rule checking, place and route operations, etc. One of ordinary skill in the art of integrated circuit design can appreciate the extent of possible electronic design automation tools and applications used indesign process 1610 without deviating from the scope and spirit of the invention. The design structure of the invention is not limited to any specific design flow. -
Design process 1610 preferably translates an embodiment of the invention as shown inFIGS. 1-5 , along with any additional integrated circuit design or data (if applicable), into asecond design structure 1690.Design structure 1690 resides on a storage medium in a data format used for the exchange of layout data of integrated circuits (e.g. information stored in a GDSII (GDS2), GL1, OASIS, or any other suitable format for storing such design structures).Design structure 1690 may comprise information such as, for example, test data files, design content files, manufacturing data, layout parameters, wires, levels of metal, vias, shapes, data for routing through the manufacturing line, and any other data required by a semiconductor manufacturer to produce an embodiment of the invention as described above with reference toFIGS. 1-5 .Design structure 1690 may then proceed to astage 1695 where, for example, design structure 1690: proceeds to tape-out, is released to manufacturing, is released to a mask house, is sent to another design house, is sent back to the customer, etc. - Although the invention has been shown and described with respect to a certain preferred embodiment or embodiments, certain equivalent alterations and modifications will occur to others skilled in the art upon the reading and understanding of this specification and the annexed drawings. In particular regard to the various functions performed by the above described components (assemblies, devices, circuits, etc.) the terms (including a reference to a “means”) used to describe such components are intended to correspond, unless otherwise indicated, to any component which performs the specified function of the described component (i.e., that is functionally equivalent), even though not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure which performs the function in the herein illustrated exemplary embodiments of the invention. In addition, while a particular feature of the invention may have been disclosed with respect to only one of several embodiments, such feature may be combined with one or more features of the other embodiments as may be desired and advantageous for any given or particular application.
Claims (20)
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